The Three Classic Problems of Ancient Greek Mathematics
- Given a circle, construct a square with the same area (Squaring the circle)
- Given an arbitrary angle, trisect it (Angle trisection)
- Given a cube, construct a cube with twice the volume (Doubling the cube)
Archimedean Spiral
On a plane, let a ray OB rotate around a fixed point O at a uniform speed. Assuming the initial position is OA, when point P starts from O simultaneously as the ray begins moving from OA, and moves along OB at a constant speed, the curve drawn by point P is an Archimedean spiral.
Pappus’s Theorem
- Cycloid
- Conchoid of Nicomedes
- Cissoid of Diocles
- Fermat’s tangent method
- Descartes’ normal method
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 3400 BC | Sumerians perform calculations using clay tokens |
| c. 3000 BC | Hieroglyphic mathematics appears in Egypt |
| c. 2800 BC | Weights and measures based on the decimal system are used in the Indus Valley Civilization |
| c. 2700 BC | Egyptians use ropes and Pythagorean triples to verify angles |
| c. 2500 BC | The abacus, a calculating tool, is discovered |
| c. 2500 BC |